Refillable and retractable lead pencil



July 14, 1964 M, FQ REED REFILLABLE AND RETRACTABLE LEAD PENCIL FiledAprilvlo. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet l E00 eac INVENTOR Mae/EL E EEE@ BY r Z#Tram/sys.

July 14, 1964 M. F. REED 3,140,694

REFILLABLE AND RETRACTABLE LEAD PENCIL Filed April 10, 1951 5Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

MEUR/EL BEL-:p

BY l au( rraeA/E Ys July 14, 1964 M. F. REED REFILLABLE AND RETRACTABLELEAD PENCIL Filed April 10. 1961 VIII 4Fifa. Il;

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

MEUR/EL E REED rrovs s.

United States Patent O 3,140,694 REFILLAIILE AND RETRACTABLE LEAD PENCILMeuriel F. Reed, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Paper MateManufacturing Co., Santa Monica, Calif., a corporation of Delaware FiledApr. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 101,956 12 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-14.9)

The present invention relates to a reflllable pencil having yleadadapted to be .projected into and retracted out of writing position andmore particularly to such a pencil which automatically provides. aconstant or uniform length of exposed lead upon each projectionregardless of horizontal, vertical or even inverted postion of thepencil.

Heretofore, reiillable pencils having retractable lead were only capableof providing a uniform length of exposed lead for writing purposes aftera push member, rotatable knob or some other means was actuated. The leadwas not automatically moved into position so that a uniform length oflead was constantly exposed after each retraction. Moreover, theseretillable pencils were required to be held in a vertical position withthe writing point facing downwardly in order for -the lead to be movedinto proper position for providing a uniform length of exposed lead.This was primarily due to the lead being fed forwardly or downwardly bygravity and not by a positive means. Therefore, rellable pencils couldonly provide a uniform length of exposed writing lead after eachretraction or use of the lead by holding the pencil in ka vertical anddownward position and actuating a button, knob or other means.

The present invention is an improvement over the relillable pencilsdescribed above in that `after the lead has been retracted into thebarrel of the pencil, means are provided for sensing that lead has beenused and automatically the lead is moved into position so that a uniformlength of lead is exposed for writing purposes upon the next successiveprojection of the lead into a writing position. This automatic lead wearcompensating means functions automatically without the actuation of anymanual means such as knobs or push buttons. Moreover, the automatic,lead compensating means in the present invention operates irrespectiveof the position of the pencil, whether in vertical writing, horizontalor even inverted position.

In general, the present invention includes an elongated, hollow barrelhaving a forward opening for receiving a stick of lead. A mainelongated, hollow member is slidably carried in the barrel and is biasedrearwardly by a return spring within the barrel. A lead carrier memberis slidably carried in the main elongated, hollow member andfrictionally holds the end of a forwardly extending stick of lead foraxial movement therewith. A lead carrier spring is provided within themain elongated member for positively and continuously urging the leadcarrier forwardly and to place the end of the stick of lead at theentrance to the barrel opening. The barrel opening acts as a frictionholding member and has a diameter such that the stick of lead isprevented from passing therethrough under pressure from only the leadcarrier spring. Additional force is required to pass the lead throughthe barrel opening. A latching means, mounted for axial and lateralmovement Within the barrel is actuated by any well known project-retractmeans for locking the main elongated member and lead carrier membertogether as a unit during movement of the lead between projected andretracted positions. In addition, means are provided for unlocking thelatching means when the return spring has moved the stick of lead into afully retracted position whereby the stick of lead and lead car- ICCrier are automatically and positively urged forwardly until the stick oflead engages the entrance to the opening of the barrel. The stick oflead is now in position for the next projection through the barrelopening. Moreover, as lead is used or becomes worn, the stick of leadwill always be moved into the same position for the next successiveprojection. The present invention threby provides a separate lead Wearcompensating means which automatically provides a uniform length ofexposed lead upon each projection irrespective of the vertical positionof the pencil.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providea refillable pencil that avoids all of the foregoing disadvantages ofsimilar type pencils used heretofore.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refillable andretractable lead pencil which automatically provides a uniform length ofexposed lead upon each projection.

Another object is to provide a reiillable and retractable pencil havingautomatic lead wear compensating means whereby a uniform length of leadis exposed upon each projection regardless of the position of the pencilwith respect to the vertical.

A further object is to provide a retillable pencil which positivelyejects a relatively short piece of lead from the barrel of the pencil.

Another object is to provide a reiillable pencil as shown and describedwhich requires no service, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, andconstantly operates in a positive and non-jamming manner irrespective ofthe position of the pencil with respect to the vertical.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparentfrom the following description when considered in connection with theappended drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a side elevation of an exemplary relillable pencil of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 2 and 2a are enlarged, longitudinal sections of the upper andlower portions, respectively, of the exemplary pencil in FIG. 1 with thelead in an exposed writing position and the project-retract means in afully projected position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, longitudinal section of the lower portion of thepencil in FIG. l and is similar to FIG. 2u with the exception that aportion of the exposed lead has been used and is shorter in length;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, longitudinal section, similar to FIGS. 2a and 3with the lead in a concealed position during movement of theproject-retract means towards a fully retracted position;

FIGS. 5 and 5a are enlarged, longitudinal sections of the upper andlower portions, respectively, of the pencil in FIG. l with theproject-retract means in a fully retracted position and the lead havingbeen moved forwardly to place the end of the lead at the entrance of thebarrel opening for projection on the next succeeding actuation;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, longitudinal section of the lower portion of thepencil with short piece of lead remaining concealed in the pencil;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal section, similar to FIG. 6, of thepencil with a short pie of lead being ejected by the short lead ejectionmeans;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal section of the forwardend of the pencil in FIGS. 6 and 7 with a short piece of lead beingejected from the barrel opening by the short lead ejection means;

FIG. 9 is a transverse section of the device taken along plane IX-IX ofFIG. 2a;

FIG. l() is a transverse section of the device taken along plane X-X ofFIG. 5a;

FIG. 1l is a transverse section of the device taken along plane XI-XI ofFIG. 5; and

FIG. 12 is a transverse section of the device taken along planeXII-XIIof FIG. 7.

In the refiilable pencil of the present invention, there is provided arctracting mechanism capable of selectively and sequentially moving thestick of lead in the pencil between an exposed, projected writingposition and a concealed, retracted position. The particular type ofretracting mechanism used forms no part of the present invention as manywell known mechanisms may be used equally as well. Retracting mechanismsprovided in ball point pens may be used with the refillable pencil ofthe present invention and such an exemplary projectretract mechanism isshown and described herein and is specifically disclosed in Patent No.2,941,510. However, it should be understood that retracting mechanismsof the side button and rotary type may also be used.

In the figures, an exemplary refillable pencil is shown including anelongated hollow barrel 21 having a forward opening 22 for receiving astick of lead and a selectively operable, project-retract means 23carried in the rearward portion of the barrel 21 for projectingr leadthrough the opening 22 into an exposed, projected writing position(FIGS. 2 and 2a) and for allowing lead to be returned within the barrel21 into a concealed, retracted position (FIGS. 5 and 5a). The barrel 21may comprise various elongated sections connected together by frictionor threads and adapted to be easily disconnected for refilling thepencil and also for ease of assembling the pencil during manufacture.

A main, elongated, tubular or hollow member 24 is slidably carried inthe barrel 21 and is biased rearwardly by return spring means 25 withinthe barrel 21. Spring 25 may be seated at its lower end on shoulder 26in the barrel 21 and may hear at its upper end against an annular,laterally extending abutment 27 formed integrally with or rigidlyconnected with the main member 24.

Stop means is provided within the barrel 21 for limiting rearwardmovement of the main elongated member 24 and may be provided by aninwardly extending annular stop 28 formed integrally with or rigidlyconnected on the inside of barrel 21. Abutment 27 is adapted to engagestop 28 when the return spring 25 has moved the main elongated member 24rearwardly towards or into a retracted position.

A lead carrier member 31 is slidably carried in the main elongatedmember and is adapted at a collet portion 31a to frictionally hold theend of a forwardly extending stick of lead 32 for axial movementtherewith. The lead carrier member 31 may be provided with atransversely extending pawl member 33 which is adapted to extend throughand is slidably movable in a longitudinally extending slot 34 in themain elongated member 24. The slot 34 may extend from the abutment 2'7to the rearward end of main elongated member 24. The pawl member 33 hasa forward surface which is inclined with respect to the axis of thepencil and a rearward surface which is straight and transverse to theaxis of the pencil.

A lead carrier spring means 35 is carried within the main elongatedmember 24 for continuously urging the lead carrier 34 forwardly towardsthe barrel opening 22. As will be described in detail hereinafter, thespring 35 is effective to move the lead carrier forwardly andindependently of the main member 24 to place the end of the stick oflead 32 into the entrance of the barrel opening 22 when the elements arefully retracted. The spring 35 is weaker than return spring 25 and bearsat its lower end on the rearward end of lead carrier 31 and is adaptedto be seated at its upper end on a centering pin 36 (FIG. 5) fixed tothe inner end of main elongated member 24.

The barrel opening 22 functions as a friction holding member and has adiameter such that the stick of lead 32 held by the lead carrier 31 isprevented from passing therethrough under presure from only said leadcarrier spring 35 whereby additional force is required to pass the leadthrough the opening 22.

The lead carrier 31 may be hollow and is adapted to slidably carry shortlead ejection means for ejecting a relatively short piece of residuallead out of the barrel opening 22. Such ejecting means may comprise anelongated rod 37 slidable in the lead carrier 31 and adapted to engagethe rear end of the stick of lead 32 frictionally held by the collet 31aon lead carrier 31. A dog member 38 may be rigidly connected to the rearend of ejection rod 37 and extends laterally through an opening 39 inthe rearward end of the lead carrier 31. The dog 38 is axially movableor has a stroke between axially spaced shoulders 39a and 39h forming theforward arid rearward walls, respectively, of the opening 39. The dog 38extends transversely through and is adapted to move in slot 34 in themain elongated member 24. In addition, the dog 38 is rearwardly of andshorter in length than the pawl 33 for reasons which will become obvioushereinafter. The rear shoulder 3% of opening 39 in lead carrier 31engages dog 38 causing rod 37 to move axially with lead carrier 31unless dog 38 is moved relative to lead carrier 31.

Axially movable latching means are provided within the barrel 21 and areadapted to be actuated by the project-retract means 23 for locking themain elongated member 24 and lead carrier 31 together as a unit to movethe stick of lead 32 through the barrel opening 22 during movementbetween projected and retracted positions. The latching means mayinclude an elongated member 41 exemplarily shown as being semi-circularin section having an elongated forwardly extending arm 41a and arearward cup-shaped end 41h.

The latching means 41 is biased rearwardly into operative engagementwith project-retract mechanism 23 by a relatively weak, unlatchingspring means 43 exerting pressure between the rearward end of mainelongated member 24 and the rear cup-shaped end 41b. Centering pins maybe provided on each of these ends for preventing lateral movement of thespring 43.

It should also be noted that an inwardly extending tongue 44 may bepunched out of the arm 41a of a latching means 41 and may be received inmain elongated member 24 through slot 34 for engaging the rear end oflead carrier spring 35. As the latching means 41 moves axially forward,the tongue 44 further compresses spring 35 to urge lead carrier 31forwardly.

The arm 41a on latching means 41 extends forwardly and may be providedwith a longitudinally extending series of serrations, teeth or the likeforming a rack 42 which is adapted to engage pawl 33 carried by the leadcarrier 31. The forward end of latching arm 41a in its forwardmostposition during projection of the lead is spaced from stop 28 (FIGS. 2aand 7) so as to allow the rack or serrations 42 thereof to engage thedog 38 on the lead ejection means and eject short pieces of lead. Thisoperation is to be further described in detail. However, generally dueto its greater lateral length, the pawl 33 carried by the lead carrier31 is adapted to engage and disengage with the latching member 41 at anyone of a number of points along the length of the latching member 41upon lateral movement thereof. Each serration or tooth on the rack 42terminates in a rearward transverse stop shoulder, each of which isadapted to engage the rearward, transverse surface of the pawl member 33to prevent rearward relative movement when pawl 33 engages rack 42.However, the pawl member 33 is adapted to move forwardly and relative tothe rack 42 because of the forwardly inclined surfaces on the teeth orserrations of the rack 42 and pawl member 33. The pawl member 33 andrack 42 are thus locked and will move as a unit when they are inengagement and when pawl member 33 is moved rearwardly. Pawl member 33will move forward and relative to rack 42 when pawl member 33 is movedforwardly in response to actuation by the projectretract mechanism 23.

Means are further provided for interconnecting the latching means 41 andthe main elongated member 24 for translating limited relative axialmovement therebetween into a lateral movement of the latching means 41with the main member 24 and lead carrier 31. Such means may compriselaterally extending, aligned pins 46a and 46!) rigidly connected toopposite sides of the main elongated member 24 and rearwardly andlaterally extending aligned cam slots 47a and 4717 provided in oppositesides of latching arm 41a. The pins 46a and 46h are slidably received incam slots 47a and 47h, respectively, for camming the arm 41a laterallytowards and away from main elongated member 24 when the latching arm ismoved axially. During inward lateral movement of the latching arm 41a,the rack 42 engages the pawl 33 on the lead carrier 31, see FIG. 9.

The latching means 41 therefore functions as a locking means betweenmain elongated member 24 and lead carrier 31. Pawl 33 and rack 42 lockthe lead carrier 31 to latching means 41 and cam slots 47a and 47h andpins 46a and 46h, respectively, function to lock the main elongatedmember 24 to the latching means 41. Therefore, when the latching means41 has been actuated forwardly by the project-retract means 23, as shownin FIGS. 2, 2a and 9, the latching means 41, lead carrier 31 and mainelongated member 24 move as a unit.

As stated above, the latching means 41 is actuated by and is biasedrearwardly into operative engagement with a project-retract means 23.While various retracting mechanisms may be used, an exemplary means isshown and will now be described.

An actuating element, latch or wobbler 51 is at all times in rockablecontact with the rearward end 41h of the latching means 41. Theactuating element 51 includes a lateral retract-shoulder 52 and lateral,projectshoulder 53 adapted to engage axially, spaced stops 54 and 55,respectively, provided in the rearward end of the barrel 21. Arearwardly extending stem 56 is integrally provided on the center ofactuating element 51 for successively engaging retracting cam face 57and projecting cam face 58 formed on the lower end of an axiallyextending, operating push-button 59.

Push-button 59 extends axially of the pencil through a port 61 in thebarrel 21 and its downwardly extending shank 59a carries the cam faces57 and 5S. The cam faces 57 and 58 are oppositely inclined and each isdisplaced from the longitudinal axis of the push-button 59. The shank59a is adapted for sliding movement Within axial passageway 62 formed inthe barrel 21. The push-button 59 is biased rearwardly by spring et? andis retained within the barrel 21 by a stop shoulder 63 carried by thepushbutton and bearing against the inner surface of the barrel port 61.

The operation of the reiillable and retractable pencil is as follows:

With the pencil in its fully retracted position as shown in FIGS. 5 and5a, the push button 59 is moved axially downwardly so that projectingcam surface 5S forces actuating element 51 against the rear end 41b oflatching means 41 and moves latching means 41 downwardly therebycompressing spring 43. The return spring 25 at this point holds mainelement 24 stationary. Because of the cooperation of cam slots 47a and47b with pins 46a and 46h, respectively, the axial movement of latchingmeans 41 is translated into lateral movement and the rack 42 on latchingarm 41a engages pawl 33. It should be understood that from this point inprojection, until the elements assume this same position afterretraction, the main elongated member 24 and lead carrier 31 are lockedtogether and axially moved as'a unit because of latchingV means 41. T hereturn spring 2S continuously forces pins 46a and 46h into engagementwith the latching means 41 through cam slots 47a and 47h; and leadcarrier 31,

through pawl 33 and rack 42, is also locked to latching means 41.Therefore, while abutment 27 is out of engagement with stop 2S, the leadcarrier 31 and main elongated member 24 move in a longitudinal directionas a unit.

Upon further actuation of push-button 59, the lead carrier 31 and mainelongated member 24 are moved downwardly into the projected positionshown in FIGS. 2 and 2a. Additional force was therefore applied to movethe stick of lead 32 through the barrel opening 22 and into the exposed,projected writing position. During this movement, actuating element 51has also been moved downwardly and urged laterally to the right whenFIG. 2 is observed until projecting shoulder 53 has moved beyond andbelow projecting stop 55. When the pressure is released on push-button59, spring 60 urges it rearwardly and return spring 25 urges the mainelongated member 24, lead carrier 31, latching means 41 and actuatingelement S1 rearwardly a relatively short distance until projectingshoulder 53 on the element 51 engages projecting stop 55 as shown inFIG. 2. The pencil 20 is now in writing position with a predeterminedlength of exposed Writing lead.

After writing with the pencil, the writing end of the stick of lead 32becomes worn as seen in FIG. 3.

When it is desired to retract the lead, the push-button 59 is againmoved downwardly so that the retracting ca m face 57 engages the stem S6of actuating element 51 and moves the entire assembly of elements 41, 24and 31 a short distance downwardly against the action of return spring25 until the projecting shoulder 53 on actuating element 51 has movedout of engagement with projecting stop 55. During this movement, theactuating element 51 is rocked laterally towards the other side of thepencil by the oppositely inclined surface, retracting face 57. Pressureon push button 59 is released and the return spring 25 now urges theentire assembly rearwardly until abutment 27 re-engages stop 28 as shownin FIG. 4. The main elongated member 24 has reached its rearward limitof travel and the stick of lead 32 has been moved within the barrel 21and into a retracted position, but lead 32 is still locked to latchingarm 41a by the engagement of pawl 33 and rack 42.

The weaker, unlatching spring 43 now assumes control and urges thelatching means 41 rearwardly. However, this axial movement is translatedinto lateral movement of the latching means 41 by cooperation of camslots 47a and 471; with pins 46a and 46h, respectively. Therefore,latching means 41 is movedboth rearwardly and laterally causing the rack42 and pawl 33 to become unlatched. The unlatching spring 43 continuesto urge the latching means 41 rearwardly until the retracting shoulder52 on actuating element 51 engages retracting stop 54, see FGS. 5 and5a. As soon as pawl 33 becomes unlocked from the rack 42, the leadcarrier 31 is controlled by the lead carrier spring 35 which immediatelyurges the lead carrier 31 forwardly until the forward end of the stickof lead 32 engages the entrance of the barrel opening 22 as shown inFlG. 5a. In this position, the stick of lead is in position for the nextsuccessive projection through opening 22. Moreover, the lead wearcompensating mechanism of the present invention has moved the stick oflead 32 forwardly a distance corresponding with the length of lead thatwas used or worn, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Upon the next projection, the stick of lead 32 will be exposed the sameuniform length for writing purposes. As the lead is worn and is laterretracted, the lead will automatically be moved forwardly into theposition shown in FIGS. 5 and 5a for the next successive projection. Nomanual means are required to accomplish this. Moreover, the automaticlead wear compensating means will function regardless of the position ofthe pencil with respect to the vertical. It is common to lay the pencilin a horizontal position after writing and the retracted lead will stillbe automatically moved into the correct position so that a uniformlength of lead will be exposed on the next projection.

' Another advantage of the ,present invention is the provision ofautomatically ejecting lead when it becomes too short to functionproperly. As seen in FIG. 6, only a relatively short piece of lead 32remains held by lead carrier 31. The spring 35 has moved the leadcarrier 31 forwardly into the retracted position, until the end of thepiece of lead 32 engages the entrance of barrel opening 22. In thisposition, pawl 33 on lead carrier 31 has moved downwardly beyond the endof latching arm 41a. Upon downward movement of latching means 41, inresponse to pressure 011 the push button, the latching arm 41a is moveddownwardly and laterally inwardly in accordance with the operation ofelements 46 and 47 as described above. However, now rack 42 engages dog38 and not pawl 33, since pawl 33 is now in position below ythe end oflatching arm 41a. Upon further downward movement of the latching arm4in, and push button 59, the ejecting rod 37 is forced downwardly andejects the short piece of lead 32 from between the lead friction-holdingcollet 31a and out of the barrel opening 22 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.It is understood that lead carrier spring 35' is still continuouslyurging the lead carrier 3l forwardly until the collet end 31a engagesthe inside of the barrel 2l adjacent to the entrance of barrel opening22, see FIG. 7.

To rell the pencil 2t), the retract-project mechanism 23 is actuatedinto a retracted position. This` movement unlatches the lead carrier 31which is then moved forwardly in the main elongated member 24 underaction of lead carrier spring 35. A fresh stick of lead of apredetermined length and diameter is pushed through the barrel opening22 until the rear end of the lead frictionally engages the opening inthe collet 31a on lead carrier 31. Further rearward pressure on thestick of lead will cause the lead carrier 31 to move rearwardly andcompress the spring 35. The lead is then further moved through barrelopening 22 until the forward end of the lead is hush with the forwardend of barrel opening 22. The retracting mechanism 23 is then actuatedcausing the lead to be more firmly engaged within collet 31a of leadcarrier 31 and moving the lower end of the lead slightly beyond the tipof the barrel opening Z2 in an exposed condition. By resting the exposedlead on a hard surface and exerting a slight downward pressure on thepencil, the lead will be further moved upwardly into tight frictionalengagement with lead carrier 31. The pencil is now refilled with a freshstick of lead and ready for use. The end of the fresh stick of lead isnot required to be severed or broken olf as with other lead pencilsduring refilling. It can therefore be understood that the presentinvention provides a refillable and retractable pencil whichautomatically provides a uniform length of exposed lead upon eachprojection regardless of horizontal, vertical or even inverted positionof the pencil. Moreover, the present pencil may have its push-button 59actuated repeatedly in successive movements, as a nervous person may do,without the lead being slowly ejected from the barrel. Upon eachretraction and projection, the same uniform length of lead is exposed.In other lead pencils, repeated and successive operation of the pushbutton will eject the stick of lead.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in the light of the above teachings. For example, thebarrel walls of opening 22 may be split to allow for slight lateralmovement when the diameter of the lead 32 varies slightly. This is tocompensate for the tolerance in the diameter of lead used. It istherefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims,the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

l. A refillable pencil having a lead adapted to be projected into andretracted out of writing position, said pencil having automatic leadwear compensating means whereby a uniform length of lead is exposed uponeach projection irrespective of the position of the pencil with respectto vertical, comprising: an elongated hollow barrel having a forwardopening for a stick of lead; a selectively operable, project-retractmechanism in the rearward portion of the barrel, said mechanismincluding an actuating element movable into and between two axiallydisplaced positions, a main elongated hollow member slidably carried insaid barrel for axial movement between fixed stop means; a return springbiasing said main member rearwardly; a lead carrier slidably carried inthe main member and adapted to frictionally hold the end of a forwardlyextending stick of lead for axial movement therewith; a latching meansaxially movable within said barrel, means interconnecting said latchingmeans and main member for translating limited relative axial movementtherebetween into a lateral movement of said latching means with saidmain member and lead carrier therein; a'pawl carried by the lead carrierand adapted to engage and disengage with said latching member at any oneof a number of points along the length of' said latching member uponlateral movement of the latching means; spring means biasing thelatching member upwardly into contact with the actuating element;whereby upon movement of the actuating element from a rearwardlydisplaced posiion to a forwardly displaced position the latching memberis engaged with said lead carrier and moves therewith to project thelead through said opening; and whereby upon movement of the actuatingelement from a forwardly displaced position to a rearwardly displacedposiion said latching member, main member and lead carrier are movedrearwardly by the return spring to retract the lead into the barrelthrough said opening, and separate klead wear compensating meansincluding a spring effective to move said lead carrier forwardly andindependently of said main member and latching means at the end of saidretraction to place the end of the lead into the entrance to the barrelopening.

2. A refillable pencil as stated in claim 1 including ejection meanscarried by the lead carrier and movable into engagement with saidlatching member upon lateral movement thereof when said lead carrier andits pawl has been axially advanced forwardly beyond the end of saidlatching member, movement of the actuating element from a rearwardlydisplaced position to a forwardly displaced position thereupon causingthe latching member to engage the ejection means to move the latterforwardly within the lead carrier to eject the residual lead carriedthereby.

3. In a refilliable pencil of the character stated, a longitudinallyextending ratchet type latching member; a main elongated hollow member;a lead carrier slidably carried in the main member and having a forwardend adapted to frictionally hold the end of a stick of lead for axialmovement therewith; an ejection means movably carried in the leadcarrier and having a dog extending laterally therefrom adjacent the rearend of said carrier; means interconnecting said latching member and mainmember to translate limited axial movement therebetween into a lateralmovement of said latching member with said main member and lead carriertherein; a pawl carried by the lead carrier forwardly of said dog; saidmain member extending forwardly of said latching member, said pawl beingadapted to engage and disengage with said latching member at any one ofa number of points along the length of the latching member upon lateralmovement of the latching member without engagement with said dog, saiddog engaging the latching member when the lead carrier pawl is movedforwardly beyond the end of the latching member; spring means normallybiasing the latching member out of engagement with the said pawl anddog; and spring means biasing the lead carrier forwardly within the mainmember.

4. A refillable pencil having lead adapted to be projected into andretracted out of writing position and adapted to automatically provide auniform length of exposed lead upon each projection irrespective of thehorizontal or vertical position of the pencil, comprising: an elongated,hollow barrel having a forward opening for receiving a stick of lead,selectively operable, projectretract means carried in the rearwardportion of said barrel for projecting lead through said opening into anexposed, projecting writing position and for allowing lead to bereturned within said barrel into a concealed, retracted position, a mainelongated, hollow member slidably carried in said barrel andbiasedrearwardly by return spring means within said barrel, stop means withinsaid barrel for limiting rearward movement of said main elongatedmember, a lead carrier member slidably carried in said main elongatedmember and adapted to frictionally carry a stick of lead on its forwardend, lead carrier spring means within said main elongated member forcontinuously urging said lead carrier member forwardly towards saidbarrel opening, said barrel opening having a diameter such that the leadcarried by said lead carrier is prevented from passing therethroughunder pressure from only said lead carrier spring means wherebyadditional force is required to pass the lead through said opening, saidreturn spring means being of greater strength than said lead carrierspring means, axially movable, latching means within said barrel andactuated by said project-retract means for locking said main elongatedmember and said lead carrier member together as a unit to move the leadthrough said barrel opening during movement between said projected andretracted positions, and means for unlocking said latching means fromsaid main elongated member and said lead carrier member when said returnspring has moved the lead into a fully retracted position, whereby thelead and lead carrier member are automatically urged forwardly by saidlead carrier spring means until the lead fiictionally engages saidbarrel opening.

5. A rellable pencil as stated in claim 4 wherein said latching meansincludes, an elongated arm member having a longitudinally extendingseries of serrations, said main member having a longitudinal slottherein, and said lead carrier member having a transversely extendingpawl member extending through and adapted to be slidably moved in saidlongitudinal slot in said main member, said pawl member adapted to beengaged by said serrations when said arm member is actuated duringmovement of the lead between projected and retracted positions.

6. A reiillable pencil as stated in claim 4 wherein said means forunlocking said latching means includes unlatching spring means forcontinuously urging said latching means rearwardly and into operativeengagement with said project-retract means, said return spring meansbeing of greater strength than said unlatching spring means, andcooperating cam means on said latching means and main member for urgingsaid latching means laterally to unlock the main member from said leadcarrier member when the lead is in the retracted position.

7. A reiillable pencil as stated in claim 4, including short leadejection means slidably carried by said lead carrier member andengageable with the lead, said latching means being engageable with andadapted to move said lead ejection means forwardly into contact with thelead for ejecting a substantially short length of lead from said leadcarrier member and out of said barrel opening in response to movement ofsaid project-retract means being actuated into the projected position.

8. A reiillable pencil as stated in claim 7, wherein said lead ejectionmeans having a transversely extending dog member rearwardly of said pawlmember on said lead carrier member, said dog member on said leadejection means extending beyond said tubular member but being forreceiving a stick of lead, selectively operable, pro-` ject-retractmeans carried in the rearward portion of said barrel for projecting leadthrough said opening into an exposed, projected writing position and forallowing lead to be returned within said barrel into a concealed,retracted position, a main tubular member slidably carried in saidbarrel and biased rearwardly by return spring means within said barrel,stop means carried by said barrel for limiting rearward movement of saidmain tubular member, a lead carrier member slidably carried in said maintubular member and adapted to` frictionally carry a stick of lead on itsforward end, lead carrier spring means within said main tubular memberfor continuously urging said lead carrier member forwardly towards saidbarrel opening, said barrel opening having a diameter such that the leadcarried by said lead carrier is prevented from passing therethroughunder pressure from only said lead carrier spring means wherebyadditional force is required to pass the lead through said opening, saidreturn spring means being of greater strength than said lead carrierspring means, axially movable, latching means within said barrel andactuated by said project-retract means for locking said main tubularmember and said lead carrier member together as a unit to move the leadthrough said barrel opening during movement between said projected andretracted positions, and means for unlocking said latching means fromsaid main tubular member and said lead carrier member when said returnspring has moved the lead into a fully retracted position, whereby thelead and lead carrier member are automatically urged forwardly by saidlead carrier spring means until the lead frictionally engages saidbarrel openmg.

10. In a rei'illable pencil having lead adapted to be projected andretracted, the provision of: an elongated hollow barrel having a forwardopening for receiving lead, a lead carrier member slidably carried insaid barrel and adapted to carry lead on its forward end, lead carrierspring means within said barrel for continuously urging said lead andlead carrier member forwardly towards said barrel opening, said barrelopening having a diameter such that the lead carried by said leadcarrier member is prevented from passing therethrough under pressurefrom only said lead carrier spring means whereby additional force isrequired to pass the lead through said opening, and latching means foroperatively engaging said lead carrier member during movement of thelead between projected and retracted positions through said opening andthereby oppose forward movement of the lead by said lead carrier springmeans and for releasing said lead and lead carrier member when retractedwhereby said lead and lead carrier member are urged forwardly by saidlead carrier spring means until the lead frictionally engages saidbarrel opening.

l1. A retllable pencil having lead adapted to be projected into and outof writing position, comprising: an elongated hollow barrel having aforward opening for receiving a stick of lead, a lead carrier memberslidably carried in said barrel and adapted to carry a stick of lead onits forward end, selectively operable, project-retract mechanism carriedon said barrel and cooperating with latching means for moving said leadcarrier axially in said barrel and for projecting and retracting thestick of l l lead through said barrel opening, and separate lead Wearcompensating means including a spring for automatically moving said leadcarrier and stick of lead forwardly after the lead has been retractedthrough said barrel opening to place the end of the lead into theentrance of the barrel opening before the next successive projection ofthe lead, said barrel opening having a diameter such that the lead isprevented from passing therethrough under pressure from only saidspring.

12. In a retllable pencil having lead adapted to be projected andretracted, the provision of: an elongated hollow barrel having a forwardopening for receiving a stick of lead, a lead carrier member slidablycarried in said barrel and adapted to carry a stick of lead 0n itsforward end, lead carrier spring means within said barrel forcontinuously urging said lead and lead carrier member forwardly towardssaid barrel opening, said barrel opening having a diameter such that thelead carried by said lead carrier is prevented from passing therethroughunder pressure from only said lead carrier spring means, and short leadejection means slidably carried by said lead carrier member andengageable with said lead for ejecting a short piece of lead through thebarrel opening,

said lead carrier member having a transversely extending pawl member,said short lead ejection means having a transversely extending dogmember rearwardly of and shorter in length than said pawl member, andlatching means for operatively engaging said pawl member during movementof the lead between projected and retracted positions and when arelatively long unused piece of lead is carried by said lead carriermember, and for operatively engaging said dog member to move said shortlead ejection means forwardly when a short piece of unused lead iscarried by said lead carrier member and said pawl member has movedforwardly beyond the end of said latehing means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 527,803McCollum Oct. 23, 1894 1,389,426 Fischer Aug. 30, 1921 1,628,974 HartmanMay 17, 1927 1,729,786 Lindberg Oct. 1, 1929 1,729,814 Becker Oct. 1,1929 2,583,069 Votruba Jan. 22, 1952 2,722,913 Aversa Nov. 8, 1955

11. A REFILLABLE PENCIL HAVING LEAD ADAPTED TO BE PROJECTED INTO AND OUTOF WRITING POSITION, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED HOLLOW BARREL HAVING AFORWARD OPENING FOR RECEIVING A STICK OF LEAD, A LEAD CARRIER MEMBERSLIDABLY CARRIED IN SAID BARREL AND ADAPTED TO CARRY A STICK OF LEAD ONITS FORWARD END, SELECTIVELY OPERABLE, PROJECT-RETRACT MECHANISM CARRIEDON SAID BARREL AND COOPERATING WITH LATCHING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LEADCARRIER AXIALLY IN SAID BARREL AND FOR PROJECTING AND RETRACTING THESTICK OF LEAD THROUGH SAID BARREL OPENING, AND SEPARATE LEAD WEARCOMPENSATING MEANS INCLUDING A SPRING FOR AUTOMATICALLY MOVING SAID LEADCARRIER AND STICK OF LEAD FORWARDLY AFTER THE LEAD HAS BEEN RETRACTEDTHROUGH SAID BARREL OPENING TO PLACE THE END OF THE LEAD INTO THEENTRANCE OF THE BAR-